So what’s the alternative to CRA if I want to break into industry?

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to give context. If it looks to long skip to the last paragraph. Thanks so much for your time.

I’m a site RC at the moment. But it seems a bit dead end- at least in my department. I’m getting drip fed regulation experience and not getting a ton of drug trial specific responsibilities at 1 year in. I keep getting promises to solo do drug trials, but my manager and boss keep putting me into recruitment and clinic presence duties for recruitment and other side projects outside of drug trials.

They seem to really like me here, and I’ve gotten good feed back from the PI and my manager.

I’m trying to turn this into a career. But Im starting to feel like I’m in a dead end job without a lot of prospects for advancement other than adding another +1 to my RCR title.

I’m stuck making 50k atm with student loans(I applied for jobs when hiring was frozen at a lot of places and took the first thing that offered since I was graduating and needed income). I’m grateful to be employed. But I need to make money moves to get more financially stable to get out from under my loans, as well as not get priced out of my city on rent.

This isn’t my first job. 2 years research tech at a research Uni doing translational drug research with 6 pubs where I did the lions share of the experiments / data (able to meet deadlines and manage time), helped write the animal protocols, etc. 2 years scribing experience in clinical ortho, and a masters in human phys with courses work on all major organ systems current common diseases and research focuses- including cancers (as well as the TAing these classes afterwards). Obviously not directly clinical research. But I know science, I know research, and I can get shit done. I’m hungry for success.

The issue I’m finding is that CRA (which seems to be the goal after the first 2-5 years for most of the posts on the sub) requires way too much travel requirement for me. I’m just not willing to travel 60-80% of the time. That level of travel is gonna affect too much of my life outside work.

So….

Im lost on what roles I can aim for from here. Progressing up the CRC ladder doesn’t seem like it’s going to yield a ton of good experience other than being able to say I’ve spent X years in clinical research.

What roles either within industry or at my site can I look to aim for in the next 6 mo to a year that will help me add valuable experience to resume so I can eventually move into industry and/or a management role? (That isn’t a CRA)

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